Thursday, October 06, 2005

"Most Peace-Loving of Nations" (Part 2)

1961-64: CIA uses disgruntled Brazilian army colonels to overthrow President Koao Goulart. As a result of the ensuing coup d'etat, the new puppet regime in Brazil allows the CIA to set up a political police apparatus which ostensibly serves as the prototype for the U.S. "Office of Public Safety" (OPS), the mechanism through which death squads are created later in the decade within Latin America.

1962: Cuban Missile Crisis.

1962: The 3rd Marine Expeditionary Unit lands in Thailand to support the country "from communism."

1962-76: From October 1962 until 1976, the United States plays a role of "military support" in Laos.

1962-96: CIA launches its most sustained counterinsurgency campaign ever, lasting over thirty years, supporting the military dictatorship (including the use of torture) it installed in Guatemala after the 1954 coup. By 1994, over 200,000 would die, mostly Mayan Indians, at the hands of the dictatorship.

1963: Troops land in Haiti (again!) to protect American business interests.

1963-93: U.S. agrees to build nuclear reactors for India, allowing India to begin nuclear weapon production in 1974.

1964-85: U.S. induces a rightwing coup d'etat in the Dominican Republic. A naval force is stationed in Panama to deteran initiative by Panama to nationalize the Canal. Military forces begin to move into Thailand, begining a twenty year long counterinsurgency campaign.

1964-74: CIA sponsors a series of military plots against the democratic government. In 1967, a coup d'etat finally takes place, and the government is toppled. The US manages to put a military junta led by Georges Papadaopoulis into power. Over the next seven (7) years, hundreds of Greek opposition leaders are murdered, and thousands are tortured and imprisoned by the American-led junta.

1965: CIA uses the Indonesian military to overthrow the Sukarno government in Indonesia.

1965: The U.S. fabricates the "Gulf of Tonkin" incident, using the fraudulent attack as justification to engage the North Vietnamese. This event sets off a chain of events which will evenetually lead to the death of 3.2 million Indochinese over the next ten years.

1966: In Ghana, the CIA overthrows pan-Africanist president Kwame Nkruhama in a coup d'etat. A dictatorship is then established in Ghana with U.S. military and economic support.

1966-69: The U.S. unlawfuly and repeatedly encroaches upon North Korea with Naval vessels. As a result, in 1968, the North Koreans seize an American spy ship, the Pueblo, and intern her crew. War is narrowly averted.

1967: A combined CIA/Special Forces group in Bolivia operates with an elite Bolivian unit, destroying a guerilla unit led by Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Guevara is wounded, captured, and then executed.

1967: The United States sends three military transport aircraft with crews to provide the Congo central government with logistical support during a revolt.

1967: 4,000 troops are sent into Detroit to quell a rebellion in Detroit. MOre troops are sent later during a massive anti-Vietnam war protest.

1967-74: The Army Security Agency and other military intelligence units begin Operation Minaret, illegally surveilling the communications and activities of American citizens. Once the public finds out about it, the government shuts down Operation Minaret. But immediately thereafter, the CIA begins operations Chaos, Merimac, and Resistance-- all for the same purpose as Operation Minaret. The three programs continue until 1974.

1972-2002: U.S. enters into a thirty (30) year agreement with Taiwan to build nuclear reactors resulting in a Taiwanese nuclear weapon program in 1979.

1973: Military airlift of advanced weaponry and other materials to bolster Israel for war against its Arab neighbors.

1973: Counterinsurgency specialists, FBI, and U.S. Marshals are used to put down a Native American "uprising" at Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

1973-76: The CIA sponsors a coup d'etat in Chile, resulting in the overthrow of democratically-elected President Salvadoe Allende. Allende is assassinated during the coup, as are other. U.S. military advisors then join the CIA in propping up military strongman Augustus Pinochet as Chile's new leader. Pinochet brutalizes the Chilean people over the course of the next 27 years.

1973-2002: U.S. enters into an agreement with South Korea to build nuclear reactors for the South Koreans, resulting in South Koreas ability to produce nuclear weapons in 1985.

1974: Troops land in Cyprus to rptect American commercial interests

1974-2002: U.S. enters into a an agreement to build nuclear reactors for Portugal so that Portugal can attain nuclear weapons by 1984. However, due to a nuclear reactor problem, in 1981, Portugal shuts down its nuclear reactor.

1975: Marines land in Cambodia and engage in combat.

1975: The CIA, in conjuction with the Shah of Iran and the Mossad of Israel, establish a program to arm Kurdish guerillas in northern Iraq. Later, when American interests change, the U.S. abandon the Kurds, resulting in the death of 50,000 Kurds at the hands of Iraq and Turkey.

1975-78: CIA intervenes in Zaire to reinforce dictator Mobutu Seso Seko. Moroccan troops are used as proxies for Americans in Zaire. In exchange, theMoroccans receive military support from the U.S. in Morocco's war against guerillas at home.

1975-79: The CIA uses mercenaries to bolster the regime of Anastasio Somosa, a U.S. puppet in Nicaragua. The dicator is finally overthrown by Sandanista guerillas-- 60,000 die.

1975-91: The CIA and mercenaries sponsor and support prowestern factions within Angola. 60,000 people die in fighting as these factions try to seize power.

1976: Troops land in Lebanon during a civil war created, in part, by Israel's Mossad.

1976-80: CIA subverts military and police officials in Jamaica, using them to depose the liberal government of Michael Manley.

1977: Troops are sent to Uganda in a show of force against anti-Israel dictator, Idi Amin.

1978-80: Troops are sent to Iran as Iran collapses.

1979-81: The CIA employs mercenaries to stage a coup d'etat (unsuccessful) in the Seychelles Islands.

1979-91: CIA and Special Forces establish a counterinsurgency campaign in El Salvador, eventually costing the lives of over 150,000 Salvadorans.

1980-91: The CIA and Special Forces provide extensive training and support to MUjahadeen guerillas fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Among those trained, Ramsey Yousef (World Trade Center bomber in 1993) and Osama bin Laden.

1981: The U.S. shoots down Libyan planes in the Gulf of Sidra.

1981-91: The Iran-Contra covert operation takes place. In order to support Honduras, the CIA sells drugs to raise money, and sells weapons to Iran (in violation of an embargo). The money is used to fund a campaign against the Sandanista government in Nicaragua. The Sandanistats are eventually deposed at the cost of 85,000 lives. A U.S. puppet regime is installed in Nicaragua.

1982: Logistical support is provided to Great Britain in its war against Argentina over the Argentine Malvinas (Falkland) Islands.

1982-84: Marines land in Lebanon (again) to support and Israeli invasion and partial occupation. The CIA uses the threat of subversion to coerce the government of Surinam into refusing Cuban aid.

1982-96: Troops deployed to the Sinai to assist Israel.

1983: U.S. invades the tiny island of Grenada and topples the government there. A U.S.-friendly puppet is installed.

1983: The U.S. transfers sophisticated weaponry to the antidemocratic Saudi Arabian government.

1984-89: Special Forces and the CIA undertake a prolonged counterinsurgency campaign in the Phillipines in order to defeat leftist guerillas. 30,000 die.

1985: The U.S. bombs Triploi and Benghazi in Libya, personally targeting the head of Libya, Muamar Qadaffi. The attack is made in retaliation for the bombing of a German disco, however, German intelligence had already concluded that Libya was not involved in the disco bombing.

1985: After the International Court of Justice enters an opinion declaring U.S. military operations in Nicaragua to be in violation of international law, the U.S. (under Reagan) pulls out of the ICJ and thereby repudiates the ICJ's jurisdiction.

1987-88: The U.S.S. Vincennes shoots down an unarmed and clearly identified Iranian commercial airliner flying over the Persian Gulf, killing 290. At the time, the U.S. happens to be supporting Iraq against Iran in the Iran/Iraq War. The captain of the Vincennes is decorated as a result of this incident, citing his "bravery" during the incident.

1989: The U.S. shoots down Libyan aircraft (again) as they fly over the Gulf of Sidra

1989: U.S. troops dispatched to the Phillippines to prevent a coup.

1989-90: The U.S. invades the tiny country of Panama with a massive force. As a result, the U.S. topples the government, installs a U.S.-friendly regime, and arrests Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega who was himself a former CIA "asset". Hundreds of Panamanians are killed.

1990: Troops are sent to Liberia to protect business assets.

1991-94: Troops are sent to Somalia to protect U.S. business interests in the Horn of Africa. Unsuccessful, the troops withdraw. But a smaller "peace keeping" force is kept behind to rid the country of its warlords. This plan results in the "Black Hawk Down" incident in which a few U.S. soldiers and thousands of Somalis are killed.

1991-2002: The U.S. assembles a coalition of countries to attack Iraq after the Iraqi invasion into Kuwait. Known as "Operation Desert Storm," Iraq's military and civilians infrastructure is pulverized as a result of the war. Nevertheless, as a term of treaty, the U.S. imposes "no-fly zones" over most of the country in Iraq, and regularly takes part in bombing campaigns throughout the country over the course of over ten years. Simultaneously, the U.S. spearheads an economic embargo against Iraq, lasting over ten years, during which 1 million Iraqis die as a result of the embargo (half of them children).

1992: Troops sent to Los Angeles after riots break out due to the Rodney King case.

1992-99: U.S. "peace keeping" forces sent into the former Yugoslavia in an effort to ensure that any government which emerges is pro-USA.

1992-2002: Just like the Agent Orange denials, the DoD denies, despite clear evidence, that there is any connection between depleted uranium usage in Iraq and what is known as "Gulf War Syndrome."

1993: Delta Force sniper teams are sent to assist the FBI in a protracted siege of the Branch Davidian Compund near Waco, Texas. By the end of it, 78 people, including 23 children, are massacred. Litigation reveals the existence of a highly classified "Praetor Protocol" under which the President is revealed to hold the authority to secretly "waive" Posse Comitatus constraints at his/her desire. In other words, the President may employ the military against the domestic population whenever and for whatever he/she so chooses.

1993-96: Troops sent to Haiti (again!) to establish U.S.-supported government. Troops are sent to Rwanda to evacuate Americans, but not interfere with the simultaneous genocide that is occuring there.

1995-2002: Federal troops are sent to take part in what are normally civilian operations, namely border patrol. In essence, this is another violation of Posse Comitatus.

1997: The U.S. bombs a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Sudan, in an attempt to bomb an al-Qaeda base. It turns out, the factory was never used by al-Qaeda, but the U.S. tries to quash this revelation.

1998-2002: The U.S. refuses to conform to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

1999: Delta Force troops are used against World Trade Organization protesters in Seattle (another violation of Posse Comitatus).

1999-2001: The U.S. deploys air and naval units to fight against Yugoslavia. The U.S. bombs Belgrade, destroying (by mistake) the Chinese embassy.

2002-03: Special Forces are sent to the Phillippines to destroy the Abu Sayyaf guerilla group whom the U.S. government claims is linked to al-Qaeda. (However, many Filipinos believe Abu Sayyaf is a CIA front)

2002-03: Special Forces are sent to Chechnya and the Republic of Georgia.

2002-03: President Bush designates Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as being a part of the "Axis of Evil." Although not linked to al-Qaeda or the September 11 incident, the U.S. prepares for an invasion of Iraq.

2002-03: Selected Afghanis and alleged al-Qaeda operatives captured in Afghanistan are drugged and brought to secret prisons in Guantanomo Bay, Cuba. The prisoners are said to have no rights under internation law or otherwise, and are subsequently tortured.

2003-: Claiming that Iraq is an emminent danger to the U.S., and creating a justification for war based upon countless lies, the U.S. invades and occupies Iraq, toppling the Saddam Hussein government. Eventually Hussein is captured and imprisoned. Thousands of Iraqis are imprisoned, many of them tortured by American troops. Over 100,000 Iraqis have died in this war, to date. To date, nearly 2,000 American soldiers have died.

2003-: The U.S. has made numerous threats to the governments of Syria and Iran that 'they could be next.'

All they have to do is make all the stupid people believe they aren't getting screwed, it's that easy. It could go on for a loooooong time, and the longer it goes on, the stupider and eaier to dupe people become. yaaaayy

The CIA was implicated in the diabolical murder of Patrice Lumumba of the Congo in 1961 and the CIA was implicated in the assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammmed the socialist head of state on Nigeria on February 13, 1976.

Yes, there have been invasions, cout's etc. Many of them against democratic governments. But, this list has some unnecessary spin statements and quite a few inaccuracies. Some of the items on the list aren’t given with statements, but are certainly out of context. This list would be more meaningful without the spin and with more focused material.

LOL, that's funny coming from the guy who deletes comments from his site when they provide examples of how he's wrong.

Either stop deleting comments that you can't answer or YOU shut up.

Brad's Brain my ass.

"1970-71: The CIA arms rightwing insurgents in Costa Rica to bring about a coup d'etat of the liberal democratic government."

The "liberal democratic government" is an editorial spin, Brad. Saying they were organizing a coup is fine, characterizing the type of government AND the rebels to invoke sympathy for the government is spin, Brad.

You remind me of the woman who posted that Laura Bush was a fucking idiot for saying the evacuees should try to keep their kids in school. I posted that they were. She said post proof or "shut the fuck up." So I did. Lots of it. Suddenly the post, comments and all, disappeared. The next day all the major media ran stories about the New Orleans kids starting school. Oops.

Just like you Brad. You ask for proof, but you delete any comment that provides it on your own site.

Fine. You tell me if you consider the President of Costa Rica at that time to be a liberal democrat. Here is his bio:

José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions: 1948–1949, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974.

During his first term in office, he abolished the country's army, nationalized its banking sector, and granted women the right to vote.

Born to Spanish immigrants in 1906, Figueres developed an interest in mathematics and physics. He attended school in Costa Rica and later continued his studies via correspondence with the International School in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1924 he travelled to Boston and took some courses in engineering while working in the Tea Company as a translator. Figueres returned to the country in 1928 and bought a farm in Terrazu. Fourteen years later, without being a figure in the national and political scene, he led a radio broadcast denouncing the Calderon government and its actions. For this reason, President Calderon exiled him on July 11th, 1942. Figueres lived in Mexico until he was finally able to enter the country again in 1944 under the Picado government. On coming back in 1944, he set up the Democratic Party, that a year which later transformed into the Social-Democratic Party. He blamed and criticized Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia for corruption and embezzlement. In 1947 he began training a small number of troops in order to abolish the "undemocratic" government. He took his chance when, after the 1948 elections, a supporter of Calderon Guardia, President Teodoro Picado Michalski, did not want to hand over power to the newly elected President Otilio Ulate Blanco. A civil war broke out that lasted five weeks. Figueres' won the war and for 18 months was a member of "Junta Fundadora"(Founding Council), and also the Interim President. During that time he abolished the army, gave women and blacks their voting rights, and introduced the Electoral Tribunal that would be in charge of overseeing the electoral process. He stepped down after 18 months and handed power over to Otilio Ulate. He continued to have a brilliant political and cultural career. He was elected two more times as president and has been considered to be the most important political figure in Costa Rica's history. During his various terms in office he nationalized the banking system and contributed to the construction of the Panamerican roadway system that goes across Central America. He promoted the private industry sector and stimulated the national industry sector. He succeeded in energizing the country's middle class creating a strong buffer between the upper and lower classes. He was well liked and received in many Latin-American countries for his center-left ideals. He has been called one of the greatest contributors to the Social Democratic ideology. The Republic of China awarded him the "Shinning Star" in 1955. Several right-wing dictatorships were unsympathetic to his cause and ideas. In 1957 an assassination plot by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (Dominican Republic) was uncovered. Even the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua supported Calderon's attempts of invading Costa Rica to topple Figueres' government. Figueres even supported Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution. At the time Castro had not transformed Cuba into a Communist state. In March, 1959, Figueres was invited to Havana, and during a public speech, he warned Castro about the ideological deviations he had was observing in Cuba, and immediately the microphone was taken from him.

Yeah, Portugal's name comes up a lot when the world's nuclear powers talk. lol

I wasn't critizing the fact you got a list, but the fact that the list has many problems. A more tailored and researched list would make your point much more effectively.

Another example of misinformation on your list: "1966-69: The U.S. unlawfuly and repeatedly encroaches upon North Korea with Naval vessels. As a result, in 1968, the North Koreans seize an American spy ship, the Pueblo, and intern her crew. War is narrowly averted."

The U.S. is still technically at war with North Korea. We respect their territory as a matter of diplomacy with the other regional powers. However, we are well within our rights to transgress their territory in our interests as long as their is no treaty to end the war. The technicality that allows us to save face is that Congress never declared war, so we aren't forced into the traditional "unconditional surrender" terms we normally issue. So the situation is much more complex than you suggested, and certainly not a good candidate for this list. Furthermore, the crew of the Pueblo was illegally tortured in ways that make the modern U.S. examples look like a light hearted monopoly game.

Well, like all liberals, you just don't understand the simple truth, which is this:

Peace is not defined as the absence of war.

You can love the idea of peace but still use force where you feel you have to.

I'm for the idea of not killing people, but if you break into my home at 2 am you're going to find out that a 12 gauge blast at ten feet is bad for your health.

That doesn't mean I don't love peace.

I do find it interesting that you keep singling out the socialist/communist South and Central American countries as examples though.

You obviously need some time under one of these "liberal democratic" regimes so you can see just how great they really are. I lived just across the Wall from the German Democatric Republic aka East Germany for almost four years and I can tell you it's not as great as you people seem to think it is.

If we could've undone them all it would've been nice.

The other little thing you left out is that on the other side of almost all those actions was the Soviet Union pulling the strings.

If you loved peace, rather than look at the list with incredulity, you might perhaps look at the list and, at the minimum, consider the scope of militarism by the USA.

It seems you will justify every use of force, never considering the possibility that some people don't want your "pseudo-capitalistic" and "pseudo-democratic" government by the gun. YOu might realize at some point, that some people don't need your form of "liberation". You might also open your eyes to the fact that our nation serves the interests of big business, not "democratic principles".

I think guys like you are so infatuated with your perception of America, that you cannot objectively look at your country.

There is just one tiny point that, being Englishman I have to comment on.

The Falklands War to which you refer was the result of an invasion of the islands by the then military dictatorship of Argentina. This junta had embarked on the invasion by resurrecting an ancient claim to the islands in an attempt to boost its increasingly waning popularity among it's own people.

Frankly, given the fact that we were facing some hideously effective weaponry, the French Exocet anti-ship missile in particular, any assistance in relieving the several hundred Britons on the islands would have been most welcome. Not that I was actually aware of any.

The United States has also been the greatest force for good and peace in the world. Without the United States how would the rest of the world have withstood the threat of facism and totalitarianism in the 20th Century.

The list may not be spun... But, it is certainly one sided and very narrow minded.

All they have to do is make all the stupid people believe they aren't getting screwed, it's that easy. It could go on for a loooooong time, and the longer it goes on, the stupider and eaier to dupe people become. yaaaayy

The CIA was implicated in the diabolical murder of Patrice Lumumba of the Congo in 1961 and the CIA was implicated in the assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammmed the socialist head of state on Nigeria on February 13, 1976.

Yes, there have been invasions, cout's etc. Many of them against democratic governments. But, this list has some unnecessary spin statements and quite a few inaccuracies. Some of the items on the list aren’t given with statements, but are certainly out of context. This list would be more meaningful without the spin and with more focused material.

LOL, that's funny coming from the guy who deletes comments from his site when they provide examples of how he's wrong.

Either stop deleting comments that you can't answer or YOU shut up.

Brad's Brain my ass.

"1970-71: The CIA arms rightwing insurgents in Costa Rica to bring about a coup d'etat of the liberal democratic government."

The "liberal democratic government" is an editorial spin, Brad. Saying they were organizing a coup is fine, characterizing the type of government AND the rebels to invoke sympathy for the government is spin, Brad.

You remind me of the woman who posted that Laura Bush was a fucking idiot for saying the evacuees should try to keep their kids in school. I posted that they were. She said post proof or "shut the fuck up." So I did. Lots of it. Suddenly the post, comments and all, disappeared. The next day all the major media ran stories about the New Orleans kids starting school. Oops.

Just like you Brad. You ask for proof, but you delete any comment that provides it on your own site.

Fine. You tell me if you consider the President of Costa Rica at that time to be a liberal democrat. Here is his bio:

José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions: 1948–1949, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974.

During his first term in office, he abolished the country's army, nationalized its banking sector, and granted women the right to vote.

Born to Spanish immigrants in 1906, Figueres developed an interest in mathematics and physics. He attended school in Costa Rica and later continued his studies via correspondence with the International School in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1924 he travelled to Boston and took some courses in engineering while working in the Tea Company as a translator. Figueres returned to the country in 1928 and bought a farm in Terrazu. Fourteen years later, without being a figure in the national and political scene, he led a radio broadcast denouncing the Calderon government and its actions. For this reason, President Calderon exiled him on July 11th, 1942. Figueres lived in Mexico until he was finally able to enter the country again in 1944 under the Picado government. On coming back in 1944, he set up the Democratic Party, that a year which later transformed into the Social-Democratic Party. He blamed and criticized Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia for corruption and embezzlement. In 1947 he began training a small number of troops in order to abolish the "undemocratic" government. He took his chance when, after the 1948 elections, a supporter of Calderon Guardia, President Teodoro Picado Michalski, did not want to hand over power to the newly elected President Otilio Ulate Blanco. A civil war broke out that lasted five weeks. Figueres' won the war and for 18 months was a member of "Junta Fundadora"(Founding Council), and also the Interim President. During that time he abolished the army, gave women and blacks their voting rights, and introduced the Electoral Tribunal that would be in charge of overseeing the electoral process. He stepped down after 18 months and handed power over to Otilio Ulate. He continued to have a brilliant political and cultural career. He was elected two more times as president and has been considered to be the most important political figure in Costa Rica's history. During his various terms in office he nationalized the banking system and contributed to the construction of the Panamerican roadway system that goes across Central America. He promoted the private industry sector and stimulated the national industry sector. He succeeded in energizing the country's middle class creating a strong buffer between the upper and lower classes. He was well liked and received in many Latin-American countries for his center-left ideals. He has been called one of the greatest contributors to the Social Democratic ideology. The Republic of China awarded him the "Shinning Star" in 1955. Several right-wing dictatorships were unsympathetic to his cause and ideas. In 1957 an assassination plot by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (Dominican Republic) was uncovered. Even the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua supported Calderon's attempts of invading Costa Rica to topple Figueres' government. Figueres even supported Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution. At the time Castro had not transformed Cuba into a Communist state. In March, 1959, Figueres was invited to Havana, and during a public speech, he warned Castro about the ideological deviations he had was observing in Cuba, and immediately the microphone was taken from him.

Yeah, Portugal's name comes up a lot when the world's nuclear powers talk. lol

I wasn't critizing the fact you got a list, but the fact that the list has many problems. A more tailored and researched list would make your point much more effectively.

Another example of misinformation on your list: "1966-69: The U.S. unlawfuly and repeatedly encroaches upon North Korea with Naval vessels. As a result, in 1968, the North Koreans seize an American spy ship, the Pueblo, and intern her crew. War is narrowly averted."

The U.S. is still technically at war with North Korea. We respect their territory as a matter of diplomacy with the other regional powers. However, we are well within our rights to transgress their territory in our interests as long as their is no treaty to end the war. The technicality that allows us to save face is that Congress never declared war, so we aren't forced into the traditional "unconditional surrender" terms we normally issue. So the situation is much more complex than you suggested, and certainly not a good candidate for this list. Furthermore, the crew of the Pueblo was illegally tortured in ways that make the modern U.S. examples look like a light hearted monopoly game.

Well, like all liberals, you just don't understand the simple truth, which is this:

Peace is not defined as the absence of war.

You can love the idea of peace but still use force where you feel you have to.

I'm for the idea of not killing people, but if you break into my home at 2 am you're going to find out that a 12 gauge blast at ten feet is bad for your health.

That doesn't mean I don't love peace.

I do find it interesting that you keep singling out the socialist/communist South and Central American countries as examples though.

You obviously need some time under one of these "liberal democratic" regimes so you can see just how great they really are. I lived just across the Wall from the German Democatric Republic aka East Germany for almost four years and I can tell you it's not as great as you people seem to think it is.

If we could've undone them all it would've been nice.

The other little thing you left out is that on the other side of almost all those actions was the Soviet Union pulling the strings.

If you loved peace, rather than look at the list with incredulity, you might perhaps look at the list and, at the minimum, consider the scope of militarism by the USA.

It seems you will justify every use of force, never considering the possibility that some people don't want your "pseudo-capitalistic" and "pseudo-democratic" government by the gun. YOu might realize at some point, that some people don't need your form of "liberation". You might also open your eyes to the fact that our nation serves the interests of big business, not "democratic principles".

I think guys like you are so infatuated with your perception of America, that you cannot objectively look at your country.

There is just one tiny point that, being Englishman I have to comment on.

The Falklands War to which you refer was the result of an invasion of the islands by the then military dictatorship of Argentina. This junta had embarked on the invasion by resurrecting an ancient claim to the islands in an attempt to boost its increasingly waning popularity among it's own people.

Frankly, given the fact that we were facing some hideously effective weaponry, the French Exocet anti-ship missile in particular, any assistance in relieving the several hundred Britons on the islands would have been most welcome. Not that I was actually aware of any.

The United States has also been the greatest force for good and peace in the world. Without the United States how would the rest of the world have withstood the threat of facism and totalitarianism in the 20th Century.

The list may not be spun... But, it is certainly one sided and very narrow minded.